The Day Ellie Ran Away

Ophelia H.K. Singer

That sound came from the jingling metal things dangling from the worker's pocket.

Ellie had seen the worker use it to turn something when he came in and out of Ellie's pen.

Ellie swiped the jingling metal things from the worker's pocket, and tripped the worker.

The ax he had been using to chop up her manure flew up, cut a tree, and made it fall over. The falling tree smashed a windshield, and made the car stop. The driver inside flew out and landed in a pile of old seat belts. The driver said, "Seat belts can save your life!"

A bird flew down and chirped to Ellie, "That was very good. Do you know what those are?"

"No."

"They're keys! People use them to lock and unlock doors!"

"Huh?"

"I'll open the door to your pen for you!"

The worker stood up. He went to his car and drank two full bottles of water. Then, he drove his car into the zoo. He stopped in front of Ellie's pen.

He got out and said, "Where's Ellie? Just a phantasmagoria. She's invisible!"

He fell down and went to sleep.

Ellie got into the worker's car.

She backed up really fast and knocked another car onto a bicycle.

The bird flew in the open car window.

"Where do I go?" asked Ellie.

Ellie drove for two hours. She had done all of these: running a red light, running two stop signs, going past a "Do not enter!" zone, flying through a building, and knocking a train off its tracks.

"Where do I go?" repeated Ellie.

The bird replied, "You should drive your car off a cliff and walk back to the zoo!"

"Okay!"

She drove her car to a cliff.

On your mark, get set, go!" she said.

She drove her car off the cliff, and flew out like a cannonball. The bird was following her.

"It's a shooting star!" said a man from below.

The bird got stuck in a cloud.

Ellie flew right onto an airliner's windshield.

"What's that? I say that it's a raincloud!" said the pilot.

"And I call it a giant rat!" said the co-pilot.

"And I call myself an elephant!" shouted Ellie.

Ellie dropped down from the airliner. The airliner landed on Airline Drive.

Ellie fell in the lion's cage.

"Hello!" said the lion.

The worker came by and picked up the lion.

"How did you get here? Go back to the elephant cage, Ellie!"

Ellie?

"Stay right here, Leo!"

Ellie closed her eyes. She opened them to see the worker chopping up her manure.